#honestly the whole ensemble cast is fantastic

[angee1011]

I started Welcome to Samdalri last night and am almost finished today.

I saw one review said it was a “comfort watch”.

Well I am sobbing and do not feel comforted whatsoever.

[fourtyforever]

Get in losers were making a fic rec masterlist

Hi y’all it’s me, your local multishipper, and I’m about to be the change I wish to see in the world by putting all the best f1 fics in one place.

Maxiel

cool things to say to your soulmate by @powerful-owl (E, 14k)

A collection of shorter soulmate stories by the great em powerfulowl. Essentially the maxiel thesis as far as I’m concerned. If you ever catch me talking about the goose fic, this is what I’m talking about. Fun story: this was actually the first F1 rpf I ever read and I blame it for why my standards are so fantastically high.

Thursday girl by @boxboxlewis (M, 3k)

Max is outed by the press. Shocking emotional impact to word ratio and off the charts tenderness. Short and sweet and low key a comfort read to me.

the being unknown by anonymous (E, 12k)

Body swap with really unique and emotional vibes. Ngl this one hurt me (in the best way). A fantastic and heart-wrenching take on the horrors of 2022.

Charlos

win or lose (it’s how you play the game) by @f1-stuff (E, 18k)

Hickey bet between charles and carlos. Cannot get over this fic for as long as I live: the silliness is off the charts, the vibes are literally the most perfectly balanced tenderhorny I’ve ever read and the writing is just really that good. I think about this fic minimum once a day.

last night by venerat (E, 24k)

College au. Ngl this one is just especially spicy, but also very very funny and fully captivating top to bottom (see what I did there? haha). Also a great ensemble cast here, which I always love.

Once more (before we die) by @f1-stuff (M, 6k)

Fantasy AU where charlos are princes of warring kingdoms. I love this AU and I love the tenderness between Charles and Carlos that we get out of it. I’m usually not really an AU type of gal but this one really did change my mind.

Playing games by @vegasgrandprix (T, 4K)

Gay chicken. WIP, but I can already tell so clearly exactly where this is going and that is delightful to me. Honestly this really is how they act like 90% of the time already.

Yukierre

match made in heaven by venerat (T, 4K)

Pierre is yuki’s matchmaker. this one is just so sweet and sooooo silly. Comfort read 100%

Loscar

Are they gay or European? (the answer is both) by periwinkle_bumper_cars (T, 30k)

Logan keeps walking in on other drivers in compromising positions. 100% balls to the wall silliness from beginning to end and just completely delightful the whole time. Background carlando, kmag/hulkenberg, brocedes, maxiel, and honestly the ensemble cast is what takes this one from great to top tier.

Landoscar

By a thread by @mctwinkdom (E, 32k)

The classic Australian thongs misunderstanding (gone sexual). Incredibly silly, amazingly hot and honestly a top-tier character study of both Oscar and Lando. A great study in unreliable narration as well (probably part of what accounts for my previous point).

carried away by orphan account (E, 22k)

Fake dating. Honestly this one got me in my feels so much more than I expected from the premise. Sweet and a little bit angsty and just a delightful read all the way down.

Strollonso

green light, red wine (and I don’t feel fine) by @vicsy (E, 19k)

Mafia AU where lance is the son of Fernando’s arch nemesis. THEE strollonso fic of all time I tell you. Unparalleled characterization on the part of both nando and lance, fantastic ensemble cast, FANTASTIC writing, and off the charts unreal spiciness. If you haven’t read this yet then what are you doing

El dick plan by @waddlingpenguin (E, 800)

Lance says ‘daddy,’ both Fernando and Lawrence answer. Short, sweet and SILLY.

camera roll by @penaltyboxboxbox (E, 5k)

Sexting/sex tapes. Overall nice and spicy and just fantastic characterization. Also absolutely crucial is the companion art also by dave penaltyboxboxbox which is literally like the ice cream on top of the cake for such a wonderful fic

silver platter by @wewentcarracing (E, 10k)

getting together fic featuring long suffering estie bestie. Honestly the fic is amazing and spicy and just so well written but Esteban’s ever growing dismay is lowkey my favorite part. Works as a pretty great lance character study as well.

Brocedes

Roseberg’s vs haminkton by @jean----ralphio (E, 16k)

Tattoo artist versus flower shop, except they’re rivals. This is like…just how they are honestly. Absolutely stunning ensemble cast and absolutely hilarious buildup to lewis and Nico finally getting together. Side order of seb just being a massive shit stirrer which honestly I think is the role he belongs in

The real reason nico rosberg retired by periwinkle_bumper_cars (G, 3k)

Secret Santa (gone horribly wrong). This is…..also just how they are unfortunately. The rancidest of vibes but also screeching-out-loud funny.

will be updating this on the reg so stay tuned for more good fics. also maybe if I am very lucky someday I will have my own fics to add to the list. definitely I need to become slightly more insane before I can start writing for this fandom but believe you me I’m well on my way.

[lonelylittledot]

Wicked

~ a Wicked scholar's thoughts on the movie

Okay. I had detached myself from any feelings about the movie truly years ago, and so I walked into the movie theatre with really low expectations.

My overall opinion: it was not a bad adaptation. I'd expected to give it 3/10, it turned out as a solid 6.5/10.

Here are just a few things that stuck out to me:

The landscapes - didn't hate them but didn't like them.

The costumes - amazing. Pretty much every outfit slayed. I feel like they could have been even a bit more extravagant, but they were great as they were. - As for Elphaba, I think my favorite outfit was the first Shiz dress and the post-Popular outfit. - Glinda's bubble dress was exquisite, and I really liked her Emerald City ensemble, although I do miss the yellow dress, I feel like it doesn't get enough love

I liked Ariana's G(a)linda surprisingly a lot. Maybe it's because I know she's a huge Wicked fan, but I felt like her love for the source material really showed.

I wasn't really sold on Cynthia. Don't get me wrong, she has a truly fabulous voice, and she absolutely did shine in the big, loud parts - but overall, I wasn't a fan of her versions of the songs. She looked and acted great, though.

Michelle Yeoh, the woman you are. Fantastic casting, no notes.

Jonathan. Oh, dear, Johnathan Bailey. Looks? Hot. Vocals? Gorgeous. Vibes? Flawless. I wish he'd played the role a decade ago, because he does look forty and not college-age, but I think everything else about him truly makes up for it.

Speaking of - I liked that Fiyero got just a few tiny little additional scenes/lines, really helped to flesh out his character more.

Grammar-nazi Elphaba, my beloved.

Listen, I have shipped Fiyero and Elphaba since I was 14. And I'm not going to stop now. I stan them, I loved their chemistry in the movie, I will ship them until the day I die.

The direction on G(a)linda/Elphaba - hella gay. But I didn't quite feel their chemistry, neither friendly nor romantic. It was okay, but didn't blow me away.

IDINA AND KRISTEN???? love love love love my og queens

The movie dragged on. A lot. This is my only really big criticism, unfortunately it's a really important one. I think they could easily have made the whole musical into one 3h long movie, and it would have been much better for the pacing. - there weren't even that many added scenes; and a lot of the additions were pretty good, actually - some were totally unnecessary though. like the guards chasing Elphaba and Glinda and the whole balloon shenanigans? - similarly, many scenes were just unnecessarily stretched out; with the camera staying too long in one place or one moment being dragged out way too long - some of the songs just had slightly longer (like 2 bars?) breakes between the choruses added for no reason

Defying Gravity. This is the same thing as one of the previous comments, but I feel like it deserves its separate mention. The pacing in that scene (or, here, more like a collection of scenes) was extremely off, the song losing all of its momentum by being chopped up into pieces. And the way they made us wait for the iconic vocalization at the end; I honestly thought I'd die of boredom.

Sometimes I felt like the movie couldn't decide if it wanted to be more stage-y and theatrical, and lean into the whole campy vibe, or more cinematic and "naturally" acted; and sometimes it switched weirdly between the two.

There was one single thing that looked way better onscreen than onstage. The Lion cub. In the movie, he looked extremely cute, tiny little adorable darling baby kitten. Way better than the creepy-ass puppet they use in the show.

There were many more tasty little details that I simply couldn't remember/write down, or else I wouldn't have been able to pay any attention to the movie. Once it's available, maybe I'll rewatch and dissect it in more detail (I should also finally watch the 1939 Wizard of Oz, it's a CRIME that I still haven't! I'm sure people who know it well could also see many references in the new Wicked - even I noticed the ruby slippers in Popular, for example!).

Summing up this unnecessarily long rant:

It was not a bad adaptation; although I doubt it will make many people into Wicked fans. At the end of the day, it's clearly a story made for the stage, and even though it was transferred to the big screen fairly well, I think it still belongs in the regular theatre, not the movie one.

[enjolrasling]

I saw the Les Miserables US tour on Tuesday and am still IN MY FEELINGS about it, so here’s a random assortment of somewhat coherent thoughts/rambles/write up/review.

(Note: I saw the entire principle cast except Randy Jeter (who was out) and two ensemble swings. Andrew Marks Maughan was pulling double duty as both the Bishop and Combferre.)

• I didn’t know anything about Nick Cartell going in, but holy fuck, that VOICE. Tone is immaculate. Lungs of fucking steel.

• “Another story must beGINNNNNN” are you kidding me Nick. Who gave you the right to be this talented. Why is this man not more famous?!

• Preston Truman Boyd as Javert - voice is great, nice deep baritone. I wanted a smidge more from him acting wise though (this improved over the course of his performance).

• Nick and Preston sound phenomenal together, their voices work SO WELL.

• Haley Dortch has the voice of an angel and I loved her portrayal of Fantine.

• I appreciated that when Fantine was attacked/arrested all of the lovely ladies kept trying to stop it/help her. A nice staging touch.

• The whole transition into the courtroom was fantastic. Nick with that ending note of “Who Am I?” 🤯 I feel like I heard a few nods to Colm’s Valjean throughout Nick’s performance, this being one, which I appreciated on a cellular level.

• Confrontation sounded sooo good. It is a little goofy looking because Nick is so much shorter/smaller than Preston, which made the whole Valjean-as-stronger-man thing a bit silly. The blocking here didn’t do much for me. But what can you do. However! The “you’ll wear a different CHAInnn!” *cue Present with the chain hitting the stage floor* was fierce.

• It took a minute but Matt Crowle really won me over as Thénardier. Acting choices were 💯 without going over the top.

• There was a lot going on during “Master of the House” and it was a lot of fun, but also hard to catch everything.

• Gavroche was delightful. As usual.

• I’m not sure why Enjolras’ blonde wig was so bad, but it was really distracting. Devin Archer does a very decent Enjolras, but man that wig was not doing him any favors.

• Marius’ entrance was forgettable. I think this was more a staging issue than a reflection on Jake David Smith maybe? All the students kind of looked the same at this time. I had a hard time telling Les Amis apart all night, honestly. Except for Enjolras and Grantaire, obviously, which brings me to….

• Kyle Adams. You freaking fan-servicing national treasure. Cards on the table, seeing reviews of Kyle’s Grantaire was the single biggest reason I decided to catch this tour, and I was really, REALLY hoping to see him in the role. I did not think anyone would ever come close to eclipsing Hadley as my R of all time, but Kyle is right up there in his orbit. Omg that scene stealing little shit. He really put his all into “the drunk one”. Blowing the kiss to E at the end of Red and Black. Continually slapping people with his coat jacket. The dick-bottle in Enjolras’ face. Constantly goofing around with Gavroche. It was all gold. I really appreciate an actor who’s done their homework, and Kyle is very obviously well versed in both the source material and the rabid E/R fan fiction. His performance is a love letter to the fans - to those of us who have cried over the brick, who have watched every musical version we’ve been able to get our hands on over and over again - and I love that for all of us.

• Anyway, back to “Red and Black”. Devin is great, really brings the sassy Enjolras energy. Marius is….kind of forgettable again. Sorry, Jake. Enjolras when he grabs that flag…Devin is really serving.

• “Do You Hear the People Sing” was wonderfully rousing, as always. One of my favorites forever. The transition to the streets was very pleasing. Again, Devin with that damn flag. I might end up shipping Enj with the flag as much as E and R, he’s that passionate with it 🤣

• Delaney Guyer was a perfectly pleasant Cosette. No criticisms, I just haven’t really ever cared about Cosette much as a character. Her songs do very little for me. But Delaney was lovely.

• Mya Rena Hunter as Eponine was somewhat “meh” for me. Her vocals are killer and “On My Own” got one of the biggest ovations of the night, but I didn’t love her acting choices. Or maybe lack there of, it didn’t seem like there were any. I dunno.

• The staging/choreo for “One Day More” was really entertaining. Much better than the underwhelming marching I saw in the 2012 production. Devin serving sassy, dramatic Enjolras with flair and a rifle is a whole ass mood.

• I fucking love the barricade set. Seeing Les Amis climb all over that thing is such a moment. Enjolras literally leaping off the set multiple times. Dude gets AIR.

• Gavroche flipping off Javert was an audience favorite.

• “A Little Falls of Rain” was underwhelming. The staging was a bit awkward and there was no scene chemistry between Jake and Mya. I really wanted to feel something. I didn’t. Just eh.

• “Drink With Me”, on the other hand, was so wonderfully emotional. Kyle’s stying of R’s verse is an angrier, grittier interpretation and I’m sooo here for it. Enjolras goes to console him and R pushes him away. The pain feels so real.

• “Bring Him Home”….Nick. Fucking. Cartell. I have no words. He cast an absolute SPELL over the theater. His breath control is super human. His last “home” note went on FOREVER. Absolutely phenomenal. Hands down best version I’ve ever heard live. Biggest ovation of the night.

• Gavroche’s death 😭 So sad, so well done. It was very striking how he was shot just as Enjolras’ hand reached up for him as he returned. The timing, the lights, sound everything was excellent. Then he crumpled onto E’s shoulder. E handed his lifeless body to R, who was just devastated. I love the relationship they created between Gavroche and R this production. The entire build up of their interactions made this moment so poignant and believable.

• Christopher Robin Sapp really took his 5 seconds of National Guard Officer/Loud Hailer time and absolutely slayed it. I want to see more of this guy in the future.

• The choreo of the final battle was very satisfying. I totally missed Marius getting injured and just mistook him for another student because again….Marius was just not catching any of my attention this tour, lol. The frantic moment between E and R in this scene was so raw and well done by both actors. R reaching for E’s face, clasping hands so very briefly. Ugh.

• Then E with the flag again. This scene is so striking and Devin gives it EVERYTHING. Then R climbing up after E once he gets shot and falls off of the barricade. The way it takes a few moments for R to die after being shot and Kyle freaking Adams makes sure the audience knows it…

• I was lucky enough to see a production with the revolving stage back in the day and I’m really glad I did, because the reveal of Enjolras’ body hanging upside down off the other side of the barricade with the flag is one of those theater moments that will haunt me forever. Enjolras’ lifeless body in the cart just doesn’t have quite that same punch, but it’s timed very nicely with the music swell, and the way his body shifts/almost falls out of the cart when it’s carried away again is quite effective.

• Ok so the sewers. That was cool. I felt like this production used just enough of the screen to really assist the set design without relying on it too much. It worked really well for the orchestration and gave depth to Valjean just dragging Marius across the stage 3 times.

• Thénardier dragging in that corpse by his ankles for “Dog Eats Dog” lol. Matt really showed up for this scene. I think he did a good job of dipping into the “comedic” aspects of Thénardier as well as balancing the really rotten parts - this was a really great rotten part. I thoroughly enjoyed his turn as the infamous innkeeper.

• Javert is such a little drama queen.

• “Stars” was A++++. One of my forever favorites anyway, but Preston took this song to church. Also, I do NOT remember this staging, if it’s what I saw in 2012 (I don’t think so?!) and holy shit. I was not expecting what they did, which got quite a few gasps from the audience. The falling/floating/reaching while holding that last “ONNNNNNN” was a fucking MOMENT. Props to this production set up. Major props to Preston. Just wow.

• The transition from “Turning” to “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” was beautiful, and I love love love the candle choreography. When Les Amis blow their candles out….ugh 😭 This number was a bit of redemption for Jake David Smith, who until now had kept slipping into the background. I found his Marius to be a bit uninspired and unrecognizable for the most part. He did not bring much of a presence to the role until this moment. But his vocals were great here, and the anguish felt genuine.

• I don’t have much too say about “Beggars at the Feast” because I was too busy watching no one but Kyle Adams as Major Domo for the entire scene 🤷🏻‍♀️

• But omg the change of Thénardier’s lyrics from “this one’s a queer / but what can you do?” to “this one’s a queer / I might try it too” and then he dips that random wedding guest dude was a giant yes from me.

• Finale left a touch to be desired blocking/staging wise. I remember feeling that way with the 2012 production as well. Les Mis is just such a powerful musical, I feel like it deserves a bigger ending than basically everyone just standing in two lines behind Cosette and Marius. The cast’s vocals made up for the lack of production though. Truly so, so good.

• In conclusion: Nick Cartell has an otherworldly voice and Kyle Adams is the Grantaire we all deserve. I am so, SO glad I got to experience this cast.

[acecampbellsaunders]

Hi, I always love seeing you reblog my jwcc/t stuff! And I'm glad I'm not the only one intrigued by how the trauma of Brooklynn's death warped Darius' love for dinosaurs? It's a really fascinating manifestation of trauma that's pretty underexplored in the show but really compelling none the less. The show definitely has a bit lighter touch than that line from the jr novelization for sure, but the instances we see still make me equally feral. I'd love to make a gifset of those instances next. But it's also something I'd really love to explore more in general, maybe in fanfic one day! Something you used to love getting tangled up in trauma and how painful and messy that is is something that can be so personal actually.

Oh my goodness THANK YOU!! I love whenever I see your posts in the tags, especially as someone who is BIG on Darius and Kenji's relationship. Brooklynn may be my favorite character because there's just sooo much to unpack with her, but Darius has always been my special boy.

Honestly, as I started picking up the lighter hints of his more complicated relationship with dinosaurs due to the trauma of Brooklynn's death... WOW! I love knowing that the storyboarders were like yeah, we did intend it to be read like this, and have shared some of the moments where it was originally more explicit, but I also love just picking those out? Especially because it IS nuanced and complicated. The fact that the hell they went through on the islands did not do this. He's watched people die to dinosaurs, but he still loves them. But this one, because of his personal attachment to Brooklynn and how much he blames himself, it's taken this thing that he has loved his whole life and twisted it, and his story of accepting that the creature he'd been blaming was not at fault in season 1, continued into season 2 with the little moments of him being GENUINELY joyful about dinosaurs again (identifying the calls in the container, writing things down again in Senegal...) - it's great. It's fantastic.

I know some people wanted more focus on Darius in season 2, but I really liked what we got tbh, especially since it's an ensemble cast. He's definitely got a lot more to unpack, ESPECIALLY with the Brooklynn of it all. But the slow journey to untangling his trauma... IDK it's one of the most compelling things to be about Chaos Theory.

This got LONG thank you for your ask, please feel free to message me whenever, I adore talking about this show. 💜

[itsthenovelteafactor]

TV Shows Roundup: July - Dec

This year I’ve been tracking every TV show I watched with notes on my impressions. I’ve watched a lot, most quite good, and a lot that surprised me. Probably going to keep up this habit in the new year (I love a spreadsheet), and curious why y’all have been watching as well!

Worth noting that my average viewing comes to less than one episode a day, so while this list is very long, I promise I do things other than watch TV.

Bodies:

Honestly, the plot and mystery of what was going on were so engaging I did not realize how much I had come to care about the characters until something bad happened to them and I was utterly distraught, which is one of the highest endorsements I can give.

The Alienist (season 2):

Obsessed with the vibes of this one! It’s super gothic, and a compelling mystery. For some reason, I have no recollection of this season ever having been announced/released so it was a nice surprise to discover it existed! Highly recommended to horror mystery fans who enjoy moody period pieces.

The Umbrella Academy (season 4):

I really, really wanted to like this. This series as a whole has been such a comfort to me and I was incredibly disappointed in the ending. While not without some charming moments and interesting concepts, this season did a disservice to the characters that make up the heart of the show. I will gladly rewatch the first and second season. This one I’ll probably skip.

Teenage Bounty Hunters (season 1):

Blair and Sterling Wesley my beloveds! It’s funny and whip smart and held together by the unbreakable bond of two sisters who share one brain cell and the bounty hunter who’s begrudgingly adopted them. Woven throughout is a surprisingly thoughtful commentary about religion, class, and sexuality. We were completely robbed of a second season with this group. Dead Boy Detectives (rewatch):

… Less than three months after I first watched it. That is probably all I need to say here. I still love them.

A Discovery of Witches (seasons 2 & 3):

Really glad I got the chance to finish this one! It’s cozy and gorgeously shot, with scenic locations, period costumes, a muted autumnal aesthetic, and captures the spirit of the novels, if not following them beat for beat. This series is very nostalgic for me, and it was nice to see it wrapped up. Marcus Whitmore you will always be famous.

3 Body Problem (season 1):

After reading the book, I had no idea how would this work as a show. It’s very different, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I don’t know how successful it was as an adaptation, and you definitely get a more western perspective, but it’s visually striking with a compelling story and characters and more restrained than I expected given the creators. I hope they continue in this vein, and am curious to see what happens next.

Moonflower Murders:

Two mysteries threaded into one, and a delightful return to a fantastic cast of characters. This one is a great adaptation of a book I’m very fond of and strikes at the same cozy mystery vibes as Agatha Christie.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (season 1):

I really do not know how best to summarize this show but it was weird and charming and, despite having no idea what was going on half the time, I was glad to be along for the ride.

Abbott Elementary (season 3 & 4):

This is a warm, comforting hug in a show form. It’s funny and smart and heartfelt, and has crafted a delightfully chaotic ensemble cast who you can’t help root for. Watch for a good laugh and the feeling of playing heads up seven up in your elementary school classroom during indoor recess.

Only Murders in the Building (season 4):

It is always so nice to be back at the Arconia! This season was especially emotional given the case is about the murder of a very beloved recurring character, but it managed to pull of an exceptional balance of heart, humor, and a compelling mystery. They could make infinite season of this show and I’d always come back it’s so charming.

The Penguin:

This whole show was brilliant and surpassed all my expectations. Matt Reeves’ is my favorite adaptation of Batman, and I love seeing more of this version of Gotham. It’s gritty and bleak and harrowing and gorgeously rendered. No one is truly good, but everyone has more going on than meets the eyes. Had my fully attention start to finish.

Marianne (season 1):

Top notch visuals, from unsettling horror imagery to the gorgeous backdrop of a French coastal city to sleek and fun editing. I will admit it took me a bit to get caught up in the story and characters, but am very glad I tried it out. Definitely an underrated gem for horror fans.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (season 2):

This show is a bizarre delight, a great mix of comedy, fantasy/scifi, mystery, and heart. Loved seeing the development of these characters ans continuation of the mythology from season one. Bart has done nothing wrong in her life ever, btw.

Lockwood and Co (rewatch)

I don’t know if I’ll ever be over this one, honestly. The visual language of this show, from the coloring to the staging to all of the neat mirror shots, is evocative and thoughtful. The characters come to life, and every time I rewatch, I pick up something new, especially having now finished the book series. There’s so much care and attention put into everything. Of all my unfairly cancelled shows, this one hurts the most.

The Terror (season 1):

This show was deeply unsettling and brilliantly crafted. I can’t believe how long it took me to watch this! The attention to detail is impressive, and the show as a whole is brutal and unflinching start to finish. For anyone who enjoys wintry isolation horror that acknowledges the real monster is British Imperialism, CANNOT recommend this one enough.

The Jetty (season 1):

This was a very ambitious series, both in the themes it and the complexity of the story (especially for only four episodes!). While I can’t say it fully hit the mark on everything it set out to do, it had some spectacular performances, excellent visuals, and did not shy away from the heavy topics it grapples with. I think this series would have benefited from a bit more time to ruminate, but appreciate the vision behind it.

[galacticrambler]

I had a great time with the final season of Star Trek: Discovery, and I hope people will remember the show fondly. In the final season that felt the most Trek-y of all of them, I do have one big complaint.

I’m just going to get my complaint out of the way right at the top. I reviewed several of the episodes throughout the season, so you can go back and read those if you want to. I’m sure I mentioned it at some point in one of those reviews, but this season was a real letdown for me personally as someone who really liked the whole ensemble that they had put together for the crew of the Discovery.

I know that people in the cast had other commitments during filming and that this was not originally planned to be the final season; however, it was always a bummer to cut back to the bridge and not see familiar faces. Sure, I thought the cast that was in the bulk of the season did a really good job. I have no complaints about their performances. I just missed Detmer, Owosekun, and Nilsson.

Then, Doug Jones had to go off to make Hocus Pocus 2 and be reduced this season. That really sucked. Throughout the first four seasons of the show, Saru brought the moral conscience to everything the crew did. I really enjoyed his character, and it was such a bummer that he had to miss the majority of the season. I am happy that I got to come back and play a big part in the finale. Plus, he was given a happy ending, and who can complain about that?

I thoroughly enjoyed the race for the Progenitor technology. It felt very “Trek” to me. The backstory of L’ak and Moll was probably my favorite part of the season, honestly. Weaving that into finally learning more about the Breen was excellent. Getting a lot more detail on an alien race that we don’t know a lot about at this point was fantastic storytelling.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed Star Trek: Discovery, and I’ll be sad to see it go. However, I’m excited for what’s next in the world of Star Trek!

[jack-kellys]

I wish there was more love for Ryan Kopel’s interpretation of Davey. I love 92sies Davey, I love Ben’s Davey and I love Ryan’s Davey. I love how they all to the core have something so different but they are all so inherently (took me so fucking long to spell that omg) Davey! Tbh I even feel the UK production isn’t giving as much love to Davey but I 100% get that it could just be me being the biggest Davey stan wanting as much content as possible, and what I love so much about the UK production is it feels so much more like a strong ensemble and not Jack and the boys and us having to pick out random Newsies for a sliver of content and us rolling with it and making the content for ourselves. I’m very hungover I hope this made sense 😭

LMFAO i honestly do know what u mean anon!! but i feel like this is because it's a more well-rounded production- the stakes of the plot feel really solid in this version, jack and katherine as romantic leads are stronger, pulitzer is more of a villain than he's felt before. like they are going by the beats of the script and the show very well in terms of foundational stuff. romance, villain, situational stakes. it makes sense.

and davey is the sidekick. and he's literally an amazing sidekick, and ryan makes davey's arc very apparent which is apparent to us bc we know this show so well. like his defensive nature at the beginning, his heated denial still being riddled with hesitancy and nerves but still getting the words out that he wants to say. is so. david. and then that need to say his words gains confidence in the right situations: 1. when hes giving jack his words in WWK, 2. when he sings in seize the day, and 3. when he confronts jack in WWK reprise. (the rally is not the right situation for him- huge crowd of new faces he "doesn't even know" and no jack to speak through).

davey textually, if you will, has three looks and that's it.

i think what's more important for us as ppl who know dis shit down pat tbh is that ryan has given davey so much love, and tbh i think the cast has too– davey has SO many good onstage interactions with race (which has an ARC TOO LIKE!!), crutchie, he and les are fantastic together (better than bway imo), spot!!, and he has lots of cute ensemble moments. maybe the production doesn't "love" davey, but this show loves davey, this performance loves davey, and thats what rly counts for me.

also hi i have a davey post and i talk abt he and race in this post and i talk abt davey a whole lot in this post too :)

[mwahahahahahahaa]

My old musical theatre society at my university did a production of The Lightning Thief musical, and I went to see it last night and it was so amazing! Honestly, the performance was so good! Everyone was amazing! The choreography, the singing, the acting, all of it! Notes about how good it was:

They had Thalia during Tree on the Hill and the costume was so good for such a small part??? And the way they did it, with Thalia standing in front of Luke and Annabeth - it was amazing

Gabe was such an arsehole, I hated him

Poseidon was super super goofy and it was brilliant. He was in a hawaiian shirt and spoke in a silly way and was just. so goofy. Different to the books. Appeared in Percy's dream to give him a magic seashell and then at the end.

Poseidon and Sally interacted at the end, and despite how goofy Poseidon was, Sally was twirling her hair and flirting and clearly still attracted to him and I loved it!

The choreography was so good for the Riptide pen to sword transformation!

Obviously they had a limited budget, but they made the most of it - going for deliberate goofiness over realism. Like Chiron had a tiny horse tail attached to him and did a funny trot everywhere, that was the full costume and it was amazing because the actor pulled it off and went for it.

Similarly with the Minotaur - it was a mask that didn't even look that much like a bull, someone in shorts and a vest top with underwear over the top of the shorts to look silly. He stopped to pull poses in front of the audience as he came in, flexing muscles and grunting, it was silly but worked so well!

Sometimes you just have to embrace lack of budget tbh and be creative, and Curtain Call (the society) did that amazingly

During the campfire song, it had actions during the chorus with the 'Oh things couldn't be worse, when your folks run the universe'. Percy didn't know the actions at first and was sort of trying to copy, and Annabeth sat with him at the back and was showing him how to do the actions as the song continued.

Percy controlling water was done by ensemble members coming in with blue fabric and running/dancing around and it was surprisingly effective tbh!

Mr D was brilliant, had an 'I love wine' t shirt on and sometimes made the campers carry him around.

Honestly you could just tell the cast was having so much fun with it, at least that's what came across, and it just added to the performance.

They had the perfect people for every role. They didn't look like the descriptions in the books (Percy had blonde hair, for example), I don't mean like that, but in terms of performance, energy and characterisation, they were all amazing.

Clarisse, for example - great costume, fierce performance, powerful and threatening during 'Put you in your place'.

Annabeth too, the actor perfectly performed the tough, smart kid who wants to be important. My Grand Plan was fantastic!

Luke was great too, really emphasised how important he was to the camp and the morale of the campers with leader the campfire song and just little encouraging moments the whole way through - until at the end when Percy comes back and looks to him for reassurance and gets ignored.

The Oracle was done well as a chorus, with three people singing the main oracle lines and being echoed/joined by others. The three main ones had umbrellas decorated with paper to give a 'mummy' feel to it

Aunty Em's statue emporium - M was very good, and ensemble members were statues, wearing fabric wrapped in a style meant to resemble I suppose a toga or chiton, frozen in different poses with expressions of shock and terror. M was threatening in a perfect way, it was brilliant

They did the snakes as ensemble members with green sleeves on arms, and it was a really good effect actually.

Again, they made light of their lack of budget - as Medusa died, someone pushed a polysterene head with green strips of paper stuck to the head as hair onto the stage.

The costumes in the brief Lotus hotel bit were really good

Same for in the Underworld, in Chiron's song - the costumes were so good, it was really funny and really entertaining

Hades was so different to what I expected - in the books, Hades is quite a serious character, but in this Hades was quite comedic, and it worked better than I would have expected. As someone so used to the books (I must have read the series over about twenty times as a teen), it surprised me but the person playing Hades was really good, and came across as very manipulative with the 'Oh sure, you can leave with your mother - if you give me that' angle.

There was so much laughter from the audience throughout at every joke, it was such a good atmosphere

Chiron was brilliant - the little trot he did everywhere was fantastic and hilarious

Good kid was so emotional and powerful, you really felt for Percy. The singing was so powerful

Chiron's delivery of 'the prophecy suggests....but that's impossible, bye percy' or whatever, was so funny. So serious and then the quick 'but that's impossible so'

I doubt I've listed most of the great things about this show but like. It was so good. And an amateur production but so worth the money and so well performed.

Anyway it has revitalised my Percy Jackson obsession and I have just started re reading the books whilst listening to the soundtrack on repeat so :D

[lucifer-kane]

🎭 and 🤝 !!

🎭- podcast with best ensemble cast: Penumbra! Honestly one of my old time favorites from when I was first getting into audio dramas. The queerness of it all and just love it so much. Space noir with some of my favorite stories in it ever <3

🤝- podcast with your favorite friendship dynamic: Since I've already done KaF & Red Val which I would usually do for this one. Since this is a rec ask game I'm not gonna answer King Falls AM even though that would be what I would if this were any other time past 2020. But this one goes to Fawx & Stallion. Like the whole dynamic of everyone in that show with each other is just fantastic so I can't really narrow it down to just the main two, but it's sooooo fun. Plus I just have a soft spot for historical audio dramas, and this one being a fun mystery one with the best detective on Baker Street (not that one!) is just sooooo beloved to me

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

My DCCU Interlude: The Legion of Super-Heroes (Part Six)

Part VI: Starting the Story AKA The Pilot

So, with the set up of the last five goddamn essays done...now what? You probably won't be terribly surprised to hear that I'm not a writer by trade. A rambler, kinda, but not really a writer. But I'm also an avid watcher of television, especially superhero series. So, I have a general idea of what I'd like to see in this series. Not sure still whether it'd be animated or live-action, but I'm aiming for hour-long episodes (dependent upon streaming or ad-time) either way.

This post will be a basic layout of plots for a first season of this show, with the plan to set up a second season as well. As for what I'm using as a sort of basis, well...that's tricky. This is a series with a large ensemble cast, dramatic character-based storylines, and a literal universe of worldbuilding, meaning it should feel like a lived-in universe that the audience can get invested in. So, when I was thinking about the most beloved and successful television series of the past decade or so, I landed upon two answers. Two...extremely controversial answers.

Man, oh MAN, is The Flash the biggest disappointment of my life.

Look...The Flash was a really bad show...for the last 4 seasons. Seasons 4 and 5 were not horrible (not amazing, but not horrible), season 3 was pretty decent, and the first 2 seasons were honestly quite good! It has a large supporting cast, great antagonists, recurring dramatic storylines (for better or for worse; looking at you, Iris-Barry romance), and it was a superhero show based on a DC Comics character! So, good, right? Well, the first seasons are definitely good models to base this Legion series off of...but the series as a whole is a big fat warning sign, especially writing and plot-wise.

It's pretty obvious that the series creators didn't have a great plan for 9 seasons of this series, and even the first three seasons are more repetitive than you'd expect or want. I could talk about the massive wasted opportunities of this series for a LONG time (and I will, don't worry; might devote an essay to it, honestly), but it had a lot of problems. Also...yeah, the budget for this Legion series has to be higher, whether it be animated or live-action. I want the world to feel real and lived in, not to not be fueled by crossovers for that sensation.

And sure, there are much better superhero shows to use as a basis here, especially during the renaissance we're currently in. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, WandaVision, Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk are some of the recent best. And hey, let's not discount DC completely, either. Doom Patrol is pretty fantastic as comic-book adaptations go, as is Peacemaker, and I haven't really watched Titans past season 1, but I hear it got better as the series went on. Oh, and Stargirl and Superman and Lois! But using the Flash as a basis is...personal.

That said, I do think The Flash also works as a basis because of the wackier nature of the source material. For the messiness of the series, it's never been afraid to go to some crazy places, adapting storylines and characters from the comics with little hesitation...and sometimes little accuracy, but that's a different story as well (lookin' at you, Zoom). But OK, that's one inspiration. What's the other?

Game of Thrones' first season is, genuinely, some of the best television I've ever watched. The wide scope of that series, both dramatically and story-wise, is a great model for a Legion series. With the first season so eloquently showing the fall of House Stark from grace, foreshadowing the rise of Daenerys, and the various struggles within two battling houses. It combined political intrigue with medieval fantasy, and did so masterfully. It gave us memorable characters and storylines, which generated a faithful fanbase for a reason. Seriously, it was amazing television.

But both GoT and The Flash had their myriad issues, especially when it came to sticking the landing. Honestly, the former lasted as long as it did because it at least had the books to go off of. But once that material ran out, the series suffered heavily until the end. The Flash, on the other hand, took from its source material a lot, but never really had a good endgame in mind, and completely lost its focus by the end of the series.

So, looking at both series, the main lessons they have to give are:

Strong protagonists (e.g. Barry Allen or the Starks, Lannisters, and Danaerys)

Strong and memorable supporting cast (e.g. Team Flash, or...shit, so goddamn many)

Threatening and memorable antagonists (e.g. the excellent and unmatched Eobard Thawne, or...well, the Lannisters again, to be honest)

Character-based storylines (for protagonists, support, and antagonists alike)

An actual plan (The Flash had one until season 3, and GoT had one until the books ran out and they had to make shit up...badly)

I originally elaborated on this more, but this is all pretty basic stuff, when you think about it. I'm not exactly breaking ground here. I'm just pointing out where these shows succeeded or failed, and how.

So, with all of that said, it's time to talk about this prospective Legion series, huh? I'll be breaking it down by storyline, which are centered around the protagonist or protagonists involved. I've covered these guys in previous posts, as well as touching upon their storylines, so check those out for more information on individual characterization. OK, let's do this!

Prologue: Plans Unfold

On a dark planet, in some forgotten corner of the galaxy, a dark cult meets within stone catacombs. An obsidian spire stretches towards the depths of space, surrounded by a large and perfectly circular arena, in which the cult gathers. Runes cover the chamber, written in a language thought abandoned long ago. This is, of course, the home of the Dark Circle, the underground antagonists for the season. The robed cultists gather in this ancient place to foment their coming plans.

While the true nature and history of this place will be revealed by the end of the season, the seemingly ancient surroundings immediately set it up as a part of the endgame. Four of the cultists, egged on by the triumvirate of leaders, are sent out into the universe at large to seed their plans, as well as the season's conflict. They enter the obelisk, which acts as a beacon for Zeta Beams, which the Circle can aim and control. They send their emissaries to the next location: Luna, in 3038 CE.

Episode 1.01: Debut

The Moon, in this universe and timeline, is a large mining colony. It's here that one of the cultists arrives, to make their way incognito onto Earth, which will act as the true staging grounds for their plan. Their contact on Earth is a nomadic gang leader and criminal contact known as Cadis Thar-Ok, who will be a major player in this story. Also looking for Thar-Ok, and also on Luna, is Garth Ranzz, a farm boy from Winath here to search for his brother Mekt Ranzz, who was a part of Thar-Ok's gang when they wandered through Winath not too long ago. While the cultist heads towards Knighton, a neostate known for its (literally) underground criminal empire, Garth heads to Metropolis, the City of Hope. Here, he hopes to speak with the Science Police, and to find clues to his brother's location.

Also on this shuttle is a traveler attempting to escape her homeworld, and possibly find a temporary new one. This is Imra Ardeen, an outcast from the Moons of Saturn, specifically Titan. Escaping persecution from her people, and recruitment by the Titanian cult known as the Espers, Imra is attempting to remain hidden. In fact, she is dressed similarly to our cultists, but in brighter colored red robes, rather than the dark robes shed by the cultist. Wearing a circlet meant to mask and suppress her abilities, she is sleeping on the shuttle, and doesn't sense the danger of the cultist. However, she hopes to arrive in Metropolis to answer questions about herself by seeking out the Temple of Mars there.

A quick note about our passengers, in terms of casting. After some thought, Garth is remaining ginger and Caucasian, rather than the darker skin of the current comics. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, there are way too many Black electrokinetics. Check out my second essay in this series for more about that, but it's ridiculous. Honestly, it's basically a stereotype at this point, and I'd rather not contribute to that. Secondly, though, there's a weird Ginger erasure happening in media, specifically when it comes to racebending characters. And while I'm very much an advocate for racebending, but even I have to admit that this is...really weird. So, yeah, let's keep one iconically Ginger character in this series, shall we?

But what about Imra? She's canonically a Caucasian blonde, but there's no canon reason for this choice. Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, Imra could be any race, and I actually sort of like the idea of a dark-skinned Imra with blonde hair. I tinkered with this idea previously, but I'm actually sort-of digging it now. Especially because...well, name a Black female true telepath in media. No cybernetic enhancement, no magic, just telepathy as a primary and innate power. Go on. I dare you. You can't. Now, that's a trend I'd be down to buck.

We'll get to our third member in a second, but I'll spoil now that I'm thinking AAPI for him. That's flexible, though, so throw whatever image you want in your personal headcanons. Now, back to the story!

Once the shuttle arrives, Imra and Garth depart, and we see their initial reactions to this beautiful and futuristic city. Imra is mostly nonplussed, but Garth is very much into it, before quickly being overwhelmed. We then change to our third major focus: Rokk Krinn, a citizen of Braal and locally notable athlete, here to speak with the United Planets on behalf of his impoverished world. He meets Marla Latham, assistant to his sponsor, R.J. Brande. Marla goes over details of Rokk's stay, then offers to take him to meet Brande, who's currently in his favorite place: the Hall of Heroes.

The Hall of Heroes , a relocated and restored Hall of Justice, is an attempt to revitalize one of the older districts in the city, specifically located next to the historic Steelworks building, which has fallen into disuse in recent centuries. The Hall was moved from Washington D.C., after a historical event known only as Godfall nearly destroyed it and the rest of the city. Housing a massive amount of historical artifacts, the Hall has been expanded upon and restored over the years, until becoming the predominant collection of artifacts from the First Age of Heroes.

As a major feature of the city, Garth and Imra are also headed here. Garth's journey led him to the Science Police, but he stopped at the museum after being turned away from the busy station. Imra, on the other hand, went towards the Temple of Mars, only to find that they had no solid connection with the one she sought, the legendary J'onn Jonzz. Instead, she came to the Hall of Heroes to find more information on him, so that she may herself be helped. And, of course, there's one more person headed here.

In Darkham, the crown city of Knighton, the cultist has found Cadis Thar-Ok, who contacts one of his men in Metropolis to assassinate R.J. Brande for the Dark Circle. The purpose of this is to eliminate a driving force for planets to join the United Planets, which increases order in the universe. Braal's membership is tenuous at best, hence Rokk's visit here. Were Brande or, even better, a Braalian celebrity to be assassinated, this would foment chaos in the UP, and further the goals of the Dark Circle.

As planned, Thar-Ok's assassin makes their way to the Hall, following Rokk and Marla inside. Here, the DC fanboys are fed with artifacts that we haven't seen yet in this fledgling DC Cinematic Universe, as well as hints of battles to come in future projects. It's one of those Easter egg-filled scenes that fans love to dissect for all they're worth. We also get a view of the museum through the eyes of our main characters, which gives us insight into their desires and characters.

Garth, for example, is focused on finding his brother, and meting out any needed justice (or vengeance) against Thar-Ok and his crew. His focus is, therefore, on crime-fighting, so he heads towards a controversial wing of the Hall: Batman's. Now most of the artifacts about the Dark Knight are actually in Knighton, which includes the place once known as Gotham City. Here, though, the Hall focuses on Batman's role as associated with the Justice League. As such, this is a slightly more sanitized version of the character, more akin to Bronze than Modern. Garth, therefore, is interested in the legend of the character, moreso than some of his darker realities. He doesn't want to be Batman. He does want to fight crime of the same caliber, however.

Imra, for her part, goes to the area devoted to Martian Manhunter, as well as the other Martian visitors and heroes that have visited Earth. We can get a look at Miss Martian here, as well as possibly even Jemm, Son of Saturn. However, unsurprisingly, this exhibit is somewhat sparse as well. Mars has reclaimed much of this exhibitry, and other pieces are found in other exhibits or museums. So here, Imra doesn't quite find the answers she's seeking. However, as she's realizing this, she also gets a sense that something is wrong. This drives her to head towards the most popular exhibit. Which, of course, focuses on...

Understand me. No hero is revered more in the 31st century than Superman. Period. There cannot be any doubt about this. The legacy of Superman has lived beyond the ages. However, because of this, there are a lot of misunderstandings about him as a person, outside of being a hero. Put it this way. You know Hercules, right? His labors, his history, that one little time he murdered his wife, you know? But, like...what was his favorite color? Favorite food? Was he a morning person, or a night owl? Do you really know anything about him personally? Hell, what was his actual name? Yeah, I see you nerds with your hands up in the front of the room. To the rest of you, though...did you know his name isn't Hercules? Or Heracles? It's Alcides. But people tend to forget that fact.

What I'm saying is, that while the knowledge that Superman was Clark Kent is technically public knowledge...nobody gives a single shit about the person he was. And so, this exhibit is to all the flash, pomp, and circumstance that is Superman's deeds and legends. We see his villains, his greatest fights, his triumphs. But what Rokk and Brande see, as they walk around this portion of the Hall, is the hope and love and inspiration he gives to everyone that sees him. And that is what brings them together. Superman is the centerpiece of this portion of the franchise, and we should see some of the stuff that he's going to get up to in the future of this DC Cinematic Universe.

Brande and Rokk meet, they have a conversation about Superman and the Hall, as well as the personal strife they've seen and suffered. It's the beginnings of an important conversation, but both are continually distracted by their surroundings. As they have their talk, Garth and Imra walk into the exhibit, sort of in the background. Maybe Garth's reaction to Superman (which should be notably in awe) is noticed by Brande as a part of their conversation. Imra should come here sensing something wrong, but pause in the visage of this figure of legend. Yeah, I'm hamming it the hell up, that's the point.

But of course, in the background, we should see the assassin enter, ready to take Brande out from the shadows. The dark thoughts and influence he's exuding start to overwhelm Imra, which gets the attention of a nearby Garth. She points out what's going on, just as the assassin is readying a weapon. Garth, acting on instinct, fires of a wild lightning bolt at the guy as he sees the weapon. This loud and bright burst of energy gets the attention of the entire Hall, causing them to panic. The Science Police are called, while Brande and Rokk are also made aware of the situation. Hectic action sequence takes place, and Rokk uses his better-honed abilities to disarm the assassin. Imra, unable to hold back her power at this point, uses it to paralyze the assassin as they flee, in an impressive-if-terrifying feat. An extremely haphazard, if effective, display, from all three.

The Science Police take their sweet time to show up, and question the trio in their actions, as well as speaking with Brande and Marla. We meet two members of the police in particular: Gigi Cusimano and Director Ryna Norg. The former is impressed by the action of this trio, while Norg is not a fan of vigilante justice. A common problem in a post-Justice League world, this is a major sticking point for her, so she acts to suppress it as best as possible. In fact, she's about to arrest Garth for damaging the museum, before Brande steps in.

I should stress, by the way, that Ryna is meant to come off as a hard-ass, but also as a great cop and decent person. A bit harder than someone like Commissioner Gordon, but with the same dedication to her job. While she'll be an antagonist, she's not a malicious one. After this misunderstanding, Garth tries to get her ear about his brother, only for her to brush him off and tell him to go through official channels. Not encouraging. When he insists, although he's already on her bad side, Norg agrees to get his info and send an officer to speak with him later. As for where he's staying, he has no answer to that...until Brande steps in and offers to put up him and Imra. Both accept.

Now, at this point, the episode is coming to a close. Other stuff has filled in this episode to extend it to the appropriate amount of time, whether that's flashbacks or extra scenes that I, as a non-writer, haven't come up with. But, at the end, as the trio are settling in and introducing themselves to each other, Brande begins to come up with an idea. And from this, we cut to our final scene.

Typical Science Police interrogation, where we get to see the inside of headquarters. Officers Ryna and the reptilian Howkun try to get information out of him, but he reveals nothing. His role was, of course, as a gun-for-hire that knows nothing about the larger operation. He only knows that he was sent money by someone who wanted Brande eliminated, but has no more information to give. After a while interviewing him, the two officers exit the room and report to a watching Ryna Norg.

Suddenly, the criminal starts to scream, as if being attacked by someone. And before the Police can gas the room or otherwise intervene, the man explodes into body parts, as if sliced apart cleanly by an unseen knife. The officers intervene, but too late to catch anyone. They quickly spread out on Ryna's orders, and the police station is locked down. As this happens, the body parts lie abandoned in the room, with the prisoners head on the table.

Said head then begins to look around, and his body parts start to move.

This man is hapless criminal Cory Belkin, AKA...nothing, actually. You may recognize a character like this from James Gunn's fun and crazy movie The Suicide Squad. In the film, he's known as "The Detachable Kid", or TDK, and he's meant to be a version of another character from Legion lore. Only problem it, he's about 1000 years too early. So, I'm changing two things. One, this is a racial ability for this alien species, from a planet I'm calling Zerpitz. And two, they have the ability to completely separate parts of their bodies, rather than just their limbs. Problem is, it'll take a bit for Cory to come back together.

Either way, Cory takes his time to escape from the poorly secured room, with the help of a device hidden within the vents by one of Thar-Ok's criminal allies. By the time the officers return, his body is gone. With an untraceable weapon and no criminal, the secrets of this crime will remain unsolved by the Science Police. Their first L of the series.

Oh, and yes, this person is absolutely related to Arm-Fall-Off-Boy, for anyone who was wondering. He'll show up later on.

As the cops scramble to figure out the next move, the body parts of Cory Belkin also scramble out of the station. While it takes a while, Cory manages to pull himself together (maybe sans a digit or three), and makes it to Knighton. He reconvenes there with Thar-Ok, who's flanked by other members of his gang. There are, in fact, multiple powered people in this group, many of whom are young, and all of whom faithfully serve Thar-Ok. He congratulates Cory on getting away from the Science Police, but also recognizes that it's only a matter of time before they figure out something's up. Which means that Cory is now a liability. And so, Thar-Ok sends Cory away with cheers at his back, and certain death at his front. A Dark Circle member follows him through the shadows of Darkham, and actually kills Cory Belkin.

Thar-Ok recieves a message that the ugly deed is done, and that a new mission will come soon. We also get confirmation that Thar-Ok, because he can't help himself, used his connections to commit a few robberies in NuMetropolis while the police were on lockdown from Cory's escape. He's somewhat intelligent, he's very brutal, and he knows how to take advantage of a situation. Thar-Ok is our first major boss for the season's first arc.

Well, that's the pilot! I really wanted to devote one full essay to this story launching point, but that won't be the case for the rest! As this essay series moves forward, I'll be putting episodes into bundles, summarizing overall story beats and storylines, as well as establishing characters and their development, if any. And, of course, I'm only covering the first season of this proposed series. After that? Eh, I have other essay series to finally write.

Next post, I'll be putting up the first major arc, in which the Legion is officially established, the other core members are introduced, and the first scuffles with Thar-Ok and his gang lead to the introduction of the next threat: the assassins. See you then!

Next: Birth of the Legion (1.02 - 1.05)

Index: Legion of Super-Heroes

[elenavonkrolock]

Jekyll & Hyde - SPB, 29.12.22 - Review

I finally got around to writing my reviews about J&H and Bal Vampirov. Since I saw different casts at different dates and I suppose this is gonna be a really long post I decided to split it into three parts and write a separate review for each show))

Theatre of Musical Comedy, Saint Petersburg, 29.12.2022г.

cast:

Jekyll/Hyde - Kirill Gordeev

Lucy Harris - Nataliya Dievskaya

Emma Carew - Elena Gazaeva

John Utterson - Konstantin Kitanin

Sir Danvers - Andrey Matveev

Lady Beaconsfield - Elena Zabrodina

Nellie - Maria Reshavskaya

Spider - Alexey Shtykov

Simon Stride - Vitaliy Golovkin

Review —

Starting with some random information. I have to mention I have bootlegs of the show in several cast compositions many times but, especially since the show closed now, I was glad I managed to see some of the last performances live. In fact, I only had a ticket for the 30th at first and thought I would only make it to the stagedoor on 29th but when around 3,5 hours before the show as by a wonder a ticket appeared, I, of course, decided to take it in a heartbeat. Since I was staying in an apartment not very far from the theatre I went there a little earlier and met outside with friends. After a while I then noticed that someone was greeting me and when I turned around I figured out it was Elena, who just came to the theatre to get ready for the show. I then rushed to greet her as well, she congratulated me on getting to Piter again (since ofc she knew about my ✨adventure✨ at the border control the other day😵‍💫) and I also managed to hand over the bouquet of flowers I bought for her. 🥰 Honestly, after this small, coincidental meet-up my mood already went up by 1000 but by then I did not even expect just how much better this evening was still going to become. We then went inside the theatre, met some more friends there and just walked around, taking pictures. I also got a programme of the show which I asked some of the actors to sign the next day.

The show - I honestly don’t think I’ll be able to even closely describe my amazement about this show in words but overall it really was a breathtaking and fantastic experience and (no shade to other productions, I love the musical in general) I am now even more convinced that the Russian production is my favourite out of them. The costumes are gorgeous, the whole cast and ensemble is great, the orchestra and the music itself are also amazing… I was already impressed when the show started with Kirill’s Doctor Jekyll from the off giving some kind of “introduction” to the show and sort of explaining how every person is split into good and bad etc. also I really loved the stage design and how the scenery on stage switched for almost every scene, starting with scenes in the madhouse and then switching to Sie Danvers’ home, the red rat, and Doctor Jekyll’s Study or Laboratory all the time. 'Lost in the darkness' and 'I need to know' right at the beginning were really great scenes and I also have to remark that 'facade' (and its 1000 reprises) and the ensemble dancing scenes in general were really impressing. At the end of act 1 Hyde was sort of lighting a flame on stage and even though I sat in the 7th row, I was able to feel the warmth on my face.. (I’ll just mention my absolute favourites now bc otherwise it’s gonna be too long) One of my favourites was definitely the engagement scene, which was absolutely adorable. Also the fact that Henry and Emma wore matching clothes almost made my heart melt.🥺 I also adored the 'his work and nothing more' part. 'Alive' and 'dangerous game' were some really hot scenes as well, as was confrontation. At 'a new life' and ‘once upon a dream' I had trouble holding back my tears. And, I know it’s a very unpopular opinion, but ‘in his eyes' will forever be among my most favourite scenes in the whole show. Especially in this composition because Elena and Nataliya just sounded really great together. The final also left me in tears. This time was by the way one of the shows where Emma also dies in the end :'( So overall, the whole show was amazing.

Cast - starting with Jekyll/Hyde of course. As you might know, my favourite J&H unfortunately hasn’t been playing since 2018, so I had no chance of seeing him. Nevertheless, I saw both Kirill and Roman now and they were both great, though very different (about Roman I’ll write in the other review). To sum up, Kirill was an exceptional J&H, he found the perfect balance between a very introverted doctor who is pretty much focused on his work only and evil, savage Mr Hyde. To me personally, his Henry even seemed less sociable and a bit more cold/withdrawn than some other portrayals I’ve seen. While for others it seems the extreme obsession with work only developes over the course of the show and they did care a lot more for Emma before all that, he really seems to have chosen his work as his top priority right from the start and she only comes second. Nevertheless, the chemistry between him and Elena (and Natasha as well) was really good and they seemed like a very sweet couple during their engagement. Moreover, I have noticed that you sometimes see Hydes who are acting more beast-like and wild while others, like Kirill’s, seem to focus more on the evil, maniac side of the character. Overall, I really enjoyed his portrayal though. Emma. My favourite. I have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of Emma and always thought she’s a rather boring character - until I saw Elena’s portrayal of her. I could write hours about how much I love her Emma, but to sum up she was just amazing, both vocally and acting-wise. Her Emma was very tender, always loving, kind and supportive towards Jekyll, but at the same time she had this strong and independent side to her, which was visible especially in her interactions with stride at the beginning. She’s pretty much driven by her love for Henry, never leaving his side and always believing in him, even if nobody else does, even though it is noticeable that she has her doubts later on and that she really suffers from her fiancé’s constant absence and Lena just portrayed all of this perfectly. Nataliya as Lucy was also great. I really enjoyed watching her 'bring on the men' and the scenes in the red rat in the beginning but at the same time I suffered with her during 'a new life' and her death left me in tears as well. It’s just impossible to not feel touched by her story seeing how such a kind-hearted woman who never gives up believing in her dream and hoping for a new life, despite her position in society, has to go through so much suffering…

stage door - first of all, right after the show I got a chance to take a picture with Emma in costume and after that and after I went to get my jacket from the wardrobe, I went out to the stage door, met some more friends there and then we waited for the actors together. There were masses of people that day, so I was really worried I wouldn’t be able to take photos or ask for autographs. I almost didn’t notice when Elena came out because she was surrounded by such a huge crowd of people. Luckily, my friend told her that I’d like to see her and ask to sign something again and she came to us right away, took some pics with me and signed my photo album with the photos with her from another concert in September before she left. She’s the sweetest, honestly, I can’t even describe how much I love her <3 When the crowd started to disappear I also managed to take a picture with Kirill. We stayed for a little longer and suddenly noticed that someone had placed some huge plastic cherries next to Kirill in front of the stage door. They were gone again later, but up to this date, we haven’t figured out why they were standing there. I showed Elena the photo with the cherries later and asked whether she knows, since I suggested it might’ve been a present for Kirill, but she didn’t know anything about it either. We later figured out they were taken away from a café nearby and placed there. Why is still unknown. Anyways, that was my first Jekyll&Hyde💗 I’ll write the second review tomorrow! If you have questions/remarks whatsoever, feel free to ask, comment, text me etc)

Should I post some of the photos as well? :D

[neon-in-the-night-time]

finished season 2, my thoughts:

the pizza oven >:(((((((

hate how covid basically destroyed the ensemble cast, i think they were an integral part of the theme of drama club as family even if we didn’t really know most of them

i noticed that they began to mix in some non-diegetic music in with the diegetic (for those not aware, diegetic music is music that is part of the fictional setting and is heard by characters). the two songs i noticed it with was granted and second chance. i think that this was a good narrative choice overall, even though it breaks the continuity of having all the songs being physically sung by the characters in-universe, because it brings an opportunity for characters who wouldn’t normally be characterized as songwriters to have their own original song. and it also opened the door to balance and different way to dance in season 3 so i gotta love it

i really loved the seblos and the redlyn plot lines in this season. i like the healthy dynamic it presents, where even when there’s bumps in the road they work through it. especially when you compare it to the super toxic relationships i and a lot of other folks grew up watching on disney channel. it’s also a nice break from the drama of the ej/gina/ricky/nini love square

original songs were as always fantastic, however, i think the covers were a lot better. even when it was just small adjustments to the original instrumentation or harmonies it felt like it was a unique take while still staying true to the spirit of the originals. and the edm dance remix that the french guy made in the field trip took an otherwise boring and forgettable song (emphasis on forgettable: i must’ve seen that movie a hundred times as a kid and not once did i recall the mob song existing) into something new and fresh and honestly? it’s a bop. i unironically listen to it. it’s so good

another thing about the covers i liked is even if they didn’t use the whole song for the show for time reasons, they still recorded the full song for the soundtrack, making it actually listenable (no hate to the season 1 soundtrack, i just wish the hsm covers had all the verses)

[luna-rainbow]

The whole super-secrecy, not tell our actors anything method that Marvel has makes me so mad. It's honestly astounding and really impressive that the actors have managed to give us such fantastic performances with the bare minimum when it comes to context and time to prepare. Makes you wonder what kind of performances we could have gotten if Marvel would chill and let the actors know what's going on in the scenes that they're filming.

And yeah, it is super offensive in a way. Part of an actors job is to be able to keep secrets, and the studio is basically saying that they don't trust them. And clearly their method still isn't working at keep things from leaking, since there are still a ton of leaks happening particularly on Marvel sets.

Thanks for the ask! Argh my draft from yesterday got deleted 😫

I think the method is quite insulting to the actors and probably the directors too. This shows a complete lack of understanding and respect for movie-making as a craft. They’re treating actors like puppets — they just have to show their face and utter the lines, they’re not allowed to understand beyond what goes on in their scenes.

It’s such a waste of the talents they have in the MCU. They have such a cast of great actors who are passionate and dedicated to their work. In the interviews for Phase 1 and 2 most of the actors talked about how they read huge amounts of comics to understand the backstory for their character. Selma Hayek writing notes in the script is pretty typical for actors. There’s a lot of homework that goes behind bringing a character to screen in a way that is consistent and connects with audiences. I remember Benedict Cumberbatch lamenting he would get scripts with everything except his lines blacked out and he’d get to the set speaking to a green screen, so he had no idea what tone or expression to use.

I imagine it’s not easy for the directors involved either. The Eternals is an ensemble film. When none of your cast knows the whole picture or the dynamics, this puts a huge amount of work and pressure on the director to ensure consistency and the tone is correct.

A lot of their newer projects have less experienced and less well-known directors. I wonder how much of that is also good directors being reluctant to work with the monolith when their craft keeps getting interfered with. The MCU had a bit of a golden era where they were able to sign on some popular actors in Chadwick, Benedict, Angelina Jolie and Selma Hayek etc. It would be interesting to see whether they will have trouble signing on famous actors after these few years of bad press about their process, or if the money will still be enticing enough.

[actualbird]

WAIT I DIDN'T KNOW YOU READ THE POKEMON SPECIAL MANGA TFIYFYI

Huge agree to everything you said here!! The manga is absolutely amazing and the Hoenn arc is probably my favourite for so many reasons including the romance. Honestly the whole of how Ruby and Sapphire's relationship developed in general is great, kudos to the writers, I think it was one of the first romances I actually enjoyed.

Yellow my beloved!! Honestly they were so good in their arc, I adored the team Yellow built. It's not that novel of a concept but seeing their Pokemon that were commonly considered weak being a threat was amazing to me. I love the team building in the manga in general honestly, it always lets Pokemon considered weak just look really great. Delcatty and Mightyena holding their own against Norman's Pokemon? Amazing I love Ruby for it.

I'm sorry if you didn't want replies to the PokeSpe post fhfhk I tend to ramble a lot when people talk about Pokemon. Take care and I hope the booster shot symptoms don't hit you too hard!

🌌

OH MY GOSH?? A FELLOW POKESPE FAN AS WELL?? MILKYWAY I AM HIGH FIVING U SO MUCH RN

literally, LITERALLY, like. god. the pokemon special manga didnt have to go as hard as it did, but it did, and it was amazing. of all the pokemon medias, it's my favorite. like, the anime (+movies) i like for nostalgia factor, the games i like for the gameplay factor, but pokespe.....i like it for the reason that matters most to me when i enjoy medias, it's amazing for the STORY

HOENN IS MY ALL TIME FAVE REGION. confession, i read halfway thru the sinnoh arc too and i loved it but i stopped halfway cuz i was like. nothing for me is gonna top the hoenn arc kjbKJBJSDF

before i ramble about the hoenn arc tho, i'll talk about everything else cuz yess yESSSS YELLOW!! YELLOW MY BELOVED!!!! pls, they were so gender and im just a sucker for healer characters who also just value kindness so much, kindness not as a weakness but as a strength, also she was a cowboy, yeehaw, what is NOT TO LIKE???? i need to reread the kanto arc tho cuz i forgot so much of the details but yellow was v v important to me. in johto, my fave is yellow, followed by red, and then green and blue. i love all my children but im allowed to have favorites ok kjBKJDSF

johto was also frigging fantastic but i dont remember much but the fact that gold's defining characteristic was that he was so mom friend that he was Powerful. also that he and silver are boyfriends, i dont make the rules, it's there in the (sub)text

and also ur right, ur RIGHT. POKESPE SO GOOD CUZ ENSEMBLE CAST AND FOUND FAMILY VIBES AND TEAM BUILDING!!!!! literally everything i love in stories can be traced back to pokespe omg. EDIT: REALIZED I MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT U MEANT BY TEAM BUILDING DGHGJKDGDGK my point still stands tho

but hoenn. man. hoenn.

reasons i love hoenn, an incomplete list because the complete list would just be me quoting volumes 15 to 22 of pokesp out word for word which i do not need to do with u cuz uve read it but

IDK MAYBE I WANNA PSPSPSPPSS PPL TO READ POKESPE. CUZ SO LITTLE PPL HAVE!!! IT DRIVES ME NUTS!!

ANYWAY, REASONS I LOVE HOENN (AND WHY U, READER OF THIS RESPONSE WHO IS NOT MILKYWAY MAY LOVE IT TOO)

the romance. this is predictable for me ok, i just love a good love story and ruby/sapphire is the only canon romantic ship that happens and for good fucking reason. because their relationship development and story knocked it outta the goddamn ballpark

queer allegory so blatant to anybody who is not cishet like. god. i dont even have to explain this, it's obvious to anybody who has read it JKJBSKDFJKS

true for all the pokespe arcs: subversion of tropes. like u said, pokemon that r seen as weak get their moment to shine, and people with characteristics and traits that are seen as weak are shown that those traits are actually strengths and make them special and who they are. //SOBS!!

true for all the pokespe arcs as well: fantastic balance of action, comedy shenanigans, and angst. //chef's kiss

srsly these kids had Trauma. theres The Incident but also norman (ruby's dad) like uh. why the HELL were you SO VIOLENT IN THAT ONE SCENE??? when i read this at 11yrs old i was like "oh that makes sense, norman is angry cuz ruby ran away!!! it's tough love!!" but now that im 22 yrs old im like "HEY, NORMAN? U HIT UR KID. THAT IS PHYSICAL ABUSE TO A CHILD." like im glad norman does better later and that they reconcile but also what the fuck

BUT what i wanna talk about most is ruby and sapphire's character. it's frigging incredible to me, the both of them. how one traumatic Incident that happened when they were kids changed the entire course of both their personalities because that event instilled core fears into them.

ruby who was at first into battling but after The Incident saw that battling (that pain) made his best friend look at him with horror in her eyes. sapphire who as at first a meek prim proper girl but after The Incident saw that this made her helpless and powerless to save her best friend who got so frigging hurt. both of them fixating on that. ruby fixating on how pain made him "ugly", sapphire fixating on how meekness made her "powerless"

and thus them going forward in a different trajectory. ruby finding his footing in beauty, aesthetics, and performance, and being a snotty bitch (affectionate) at ppl into battling. sapphire finding her footing in becoming a battle master to hone her strength and also literally grow up in the wilderness, she was the BLUEPRINT for the feral girl archetype but actually done well. they reunite, do not recognize each other, clash so much because the other embodies something they dislike (cuz in the past that something fucked them up so much) and then coming to accept all parts of both each other and themselves

and then they fall in love

foils to one another, finding parts of themself in the other, learning to be vulnerable and trust once more

//SOBS CRIES WAILSSSSS!!!!!

EDIT: i love that ruby makes a huge personality trait of his just bitch (affectionate). hes such a bitchy piece of shit with a heart of gold, sapphire got her work cut out for her slowly falling in love with him kjbkJBKK

anyway you should go read the pokemon special manga if u havent, dear reader of this response who hasnt read it yet

heres where u can read it all

hoenn arc is volumes 15 to 22 (skip "The Mt. Silver Training Chapter" between 15 and 16)

but fair warning, beginning of hoenn arc starts and islinked to the ending of johto arc so itll be a BIT CONFUSING FOR THE FIRST 20 PAGES OF VOL15 but it's fine, you can handle it, i believe in u.

and yknow, if u do wanna get the full context, why not just read everything before hoenn as well? because KANTO AND JOHTO ARE REALLY FRIGGING GOOD TOO.

//breathes heavily. okay. okay im done rambling. i just came home from getting my booster shot and typed this all in a frenzied daze. i need a nap and also breakfastKJBKSJFD

THANK U FOR THIS ASK, MILKYWAY!! i....really wanna reread hoenn now and will probably liveblog the process

[cybernaght]

Guardian rewatch: Episode 1

I am not over how fantastic the Guardian was after finishing it a couple days ago. I will probably re-post some of my thoughts on the show overall here eventually, but for now, I thought I’d compile series of random observations as I go through the series second time around. 

This is vastly inspired by canary3d’s wonderful Untamed recaps, but I’m neither as insightful, nor as witty as her, and have zero giffing skills. 

Disclaimer as follows: I’m mildly dyslexic, and appreciate polite corrections. I know very very basic Chinese after studying it many many years ago, but I remember little, and rely on subs when watching anything. Generally, new to fandom, not great with tech; please be nice. 

There will be spoilers for the series as whole.

So, here goes: Guardian Rewatch, Episode 1

Watching the opening credits first time since the finale made me cry. That said, I have also watched the series from Viki, but am screen capping them from Youtube - and the opening credits here actually have… well, credits, so a mixed bag of emotions here. 

Pretty sure they blew 40% of their overall budget on the animated opening sequence; and on rewatch it’s actually making more sense. The is fairly good, as well, and I am fairly certain its narrated by Xiao Guo, establishing him as the POV character of sorts.

Oh those introductions of Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are hot as hell, both of them confident in their own elements. It’s a great way to quickly summarise not just them individually, but the contrast between them, to the audience.

The lollipops make their first appearance, before becoming narratively significant in about five different ways. We are also seeing Zhao Yunlan being a sly fox for the first time. He will remain sly fox for the duration of this show. 

We are treated to the first appearance of the ensemble cast, and I’m pretty sure they blew half of their CGI budget on the lovely scene of Xiao Guo being freaked out by the assortment of special abilities of his new team: Da Qing’s seamless cat transformation, Zhu Hong having a tail, Wang Zheng being all ghostly... they never look as great again. Not ever.  In hindsight, this feels like a mean tease: a promise of what this show could have looked like if the production company still had the money.

I am also pretty sure Bai Yu has a motorbike double, which explains why the motorbike stops featuring after they can no longer afford a motorbike double. Or maybe motorcycle goes away because Zhao Yunlan needs a car to drive Shen Wei around. We’ll never know. 

Shen Wei seeing Kunlun for the first time (and seeing Da Qing for the first time) in a millennia. There is a hint of Baby Shen Wei-ness about him. There is longing and hope and youth. I’m sure he was not allowing himself to have that facial expression since he came out of the magical coma how many decades ago. God damn this is a good performance. 

“Shen Wei? Good name!” And Shen Wei actually flinches a little. And he forgets to let go of the hand after he shakes it. And he looks so unabashedly hopeful, clutching the business hard. On first watch it read as “huh? What’s up with this guy?” On second watch, it’s like a perfect piece of the puzzle, slotting in place. GOD DAMN this is a good performance. 

Here he is again: Baby Shen Wei in all his owlishness. They are talking in the office, and Kunlun has a new name, may or may not remember him, is definitely suspicious of him, but he also listens with the same intensity, and he is alive, and he is here, and Shen Wei is young again, looking so very happy.  

Oh yay Lao Chu’s puppet brother is here! Actually fighting side by side. This will never happen again. Because they will never again have the money.

We are treated to a short mashup of Shen Wei’s memories as he is thinking “I hope you still remember our pact”. I wonder if there is a specific moment in the future when Shen Wei puts two and two (in this case: a man with a gun and processed sugar on a stick and super powerful artefacts that can do a lot of random magical stuff) together to make a time travel conclusion. Because it doesn’t happen straightaway. 

“I waited for you for ten thousand years”. 

The next day, Li Qian is asking “Is it worth doing anything to protect someone”? And Shen Wei replies that it is. Li Qian is reaching to touch the Hallow around her neck, a heirloom so important to her, chord looking so similar to the one hidden around Shen Wei’s own neck. Shen Wei looks over to Zhao Yunlan who is watching them converse. The... just the symbolism of this, is beautifully crafted as something you cannot possibly notice first time around. 

“Who knows”, says Shen Wei, when he speaks to Zhao Yunlan shortly after, “maybe we have met before.” He watches very very carefully to see if the words resonate. He watches so closely as Zhao Yunlan laughs and then steps away to answer a call. You know the exact moment it dawns on Shen Wei that Kunlun does not, in fact, remember anything, that it’s not a flirty game of cat and mouse. He honestly looks like he is about to cry. 

The first time we ever see Hei Pao Shi, he is not wearing a robe and a mask. First time we see Hei Pao Shi, he is facing off the Shadow Man while wearing a suit, looking stern and resolute (before being swiftly thrown off the roof)

Does he get flung off the roof deliberately so he can make his appearance in all his timeless glory as the world’s most powerful flex? Yes, yes he does. 

I thought this show was good first time around. It’s SUBLIME on rewatch.

Episode 2 will feature a lot of “Shen Wei, you bloody hypocrite”